Over a Dozen Family and Friends Detained for Going to Mr. Xin Tingchao’s Trial

(Minghui.org) Mr. Xin Tingchao from Laishui County, Hebei Province, went to Beijing to work when he was not working on his farm and gave an elderly lady a Shen Yun Performing Arts DVD on June 14, 2013. He was reported and arrested. He was tried in Wenyuhe Court in the Chaoyang District on December 2.

Mr. Xin’s wife, daughter, relatives, and friends, more than a dozen of them in all, traveled from their hometown to the courthouse at 9:30 a.m. in a bus that they had rented. The court only allowed his wife, daughter, and sister to attend the proceedings and refused to let the others in. Several police cars arrived before the trial started. Police guarded the area during the trial.

The police detained Mr. Xin’s family, relatives, and friends at 1:30 p.m.. Several officers went on the bus and asked them to show their identification cards. They were detained for an hour at the Louzizhuang Police Station, which is 160 feet away from the courthouse.

Wenyuhe Court is located in a remote area and is normally used for civil cases.

In Mr. Xin’s hometown, over 2,800 people signed a petition calling for his release. His fellow villagers speak of him as honest and trustworthy.

Mr. Xin’s family have gone to several detention centers and police stations in Beijing again and again, seeking his release. His employer in Beijing also wrote a letter of support, testifying to Mr. Xin’s integrity.